A schoolboy's royal "selfie" during Will and Kate's visit to Christchurch is making headlines around the world.

Michael Horne, 17, got the ''best selfie'' featuring the royals on Monday, according to The Edge radio station.

A selfie is a type of self-portrait typically taken with a hand-held digital camera or camera phone.

The Hillmorton High School student said the ''perfect'' image, featuring the Duchess of Cambridge smiling and waving into his camera in Latimer Square, was for a royal photo competition his history teacher set up.

''I definitely won,'' he said.

''We got real close and I yelled, 'Kate! Smile for the camera!' and just started taking photos. Seven Sharp last night claimed it as the best royal selfie of all time.''

Horne's photograph will feature on Sunrise in Australia and has also received more the 35,000 likes on The Ellen DeGeneres Show's Facebook page.

''She is like the selfie queen,'' he said.

''Hopefully she thinks it's good enough [to] fly me over to America.''

The selfie was not the most flattering style of self portrait, but that was not the point.